On Saturday 22nd April 2017, I am taking part in the Liege – Bastogne – Liege cycling event in Belgium. I will be riding 165 miles through the hilly Belgian countryside in around nine to ten hours, weather and wind permitting! The professional peloton (Team Sky et al), will race on exactly the same roads over the same distance the following day, Sunday 23rd.
For those who don’t follow cycling, Liege Bastogne Liege is one of the oldest European cycling races first held in 1892 and is usually the last of the ‘Spring Classics’ in the early season. It is considered one of the most arduous one-day cycling events because of its length and succession of steep climbs
Cycling Weekly described the race as:
‘ In purely physical terms, this is probably the toughest classic: the climbs are long, most of them are pretty steep as well, and they come up with depressing frequency in the final kilometres’.
To put it mildly, I’ve signed up to a tough day in the saddle!
I’m doing this in order to raise as much money as possible for Charlotte’s Brightside, a charity and childrens centre based in New Brighton, Wallasey. The charity was founded by Angie and Vinny Churchill in memory of their daughter, Charlotte Churchill, who died tragically in a car accident. The charity aims to provide local children and young people with a safe place to ‘hang out’, provide homework clubs, cookery, music, dance and other classes, gives them an opportunity to gain new experiences and make new friends, reduce anti-social behaviour in the area, offer school holiday activities and help to reduce the burden on single parent and lower income families.
Having grown up and lived in Wallasey for most of my life, I am well aware of the pressures faced by many children, young people and families in the area. Charlotte’s Brightside can only stay open through funds raised through charitable donations and any money raised will make a very real and immediate impact on the lives of those who rely on the centre.
